Exchange students are particularly lucky at Tec De Monterrey as every 5 weeks we have a ‘semana tec’. Semana tec (tec week in english) is similar to a mid semester break where no assignments are due. As Tec De Monterrey has 18 weeks in their semester, we get 3 weeks in total of semana tec. This gives all exchange students an opportunity to travel further and for longer compared to our weekends. The two semana tecs I have had in Mexico have definitely been a highlight out of my entire exchange.
Semana Tec Uno: Puerto Escondido
Our first semana tec was at the beginning of September, and we were all craving some sand and sun. Nearly halve of our exchange group went to the increasingly popular spot of Puerto Escondido. . It’s known for its small surfy township with multiple beaches sprawled across the pacific ocean. Located in the state of Oaxaca, many backpackers have raved about this spot and said it was a highlight of their travels. Puerto is exchange student friendly due to its variety of cheap hostels across the coast and the exceedingly high amount of young people living, surfing and skating in this area. It was somewhere I knew I wanted to visit since my last visit to Mexico. I can definitely say that it lived up to my expectations. If anything, it was tempting to live in Puerto after my studies, which is a similar feeling that previous tourists have felt about the place.
You can never get tired of Puerto due to the endless amount of activities available in this region. Not only did Puerto have a variety of beaches, but each with their own unique characteristics, depending on what you are looking for. Playa Carrizalillo is the Hanauma Bay of Mexico. You can enjoy the walk down to this beach due to the breathtaking view from the top. It is a tourist favorite with its crystal clear water and a great place for beginners surfing. Playa Coral is a secluded beach that is home to an abandoned water park. Through the resort, you are able to get entrance to the beach, a lunch and drink for under 10NZD, which made it easy for 20 of us exchange students to spend the entire day there. Playa Coral gave a tropical island feel with its multiple palm trees and one of the prettiest sunsets I have seen in my life. Playa Puerto Angelito is calm compared to other beaches in Puerto that have a massive range of restaurants situated on the beach. La Punta is known as the main beach where bohemian and surfer vibes are plentiful. It is only a 5 minute walk from the main town, and the opportunity to rent an umbrella, surf board or buy a coconut on the beach. Many locals and tourists tend to gather here for volleyball or to watch the sunset.
Activities range from fishing trips, dolphin watching tours, letting baby turtles go into the ocean, surf lessons and bioluminescent boat tours. Many of the hostels within Puerto are super social, meaning they hold many events such as salsa nights, beach yoga or BBQ’s on the beach during sunset. My time in Puerto was incredible, and I am looking forward to visiting it again with my New Zealand friends in December.
Semana Tec Uno: Mazunte
About an hour drive from Puerto is the secluded beach town of Mazunte. We traveled to this hidden gem through collectivos. This form of transport can range from mini vans to seats on the back of trucks with tarpaulen for shade. Collectivos were always super safe and ranged from 10 cents to 2NZDper ride. Mazunte was a mix of tropical jungle and gorgeous beach. Due to the town’s small proximity, you felt like you knew all the locals after spending 3 days there. It was a chill girls weekend with Katie, Ida (Finland), Florence, Elanor and Ellie (London). We all stayed in a little bungalow through AirBNB, which was an interesting experience to say the least!
Compared to Puerto Escondido, there was not much to do in this little town besides lay on the beach. However, Mazunte is known for La Cometa, which is a 10 minute walk to a little peninsula for sunset. You will find the majority of the town docked up at this spot to enjoy the last minutes of sunlight. Sitting at this viewspot not only was a highlight from the scenes, but because I bumped into Natalia! Natalia was my coordinator from my previous trip to Mexico, via Social Realities in Mexico. Out of the 22 million people living in Mexico City, it was crazy that I not only bumped into my Mexican mum, but in one of the prettiest places in the state of Oaxaca.
Another highlight of Mazunte was the dolphin and turtle tour we did one morning. We saw a range of turtles and many of the dolphins swam alongside our boat during the tour. On top of this experience, we had the opportunity to go snorkeling at a range of spots.
Semana Tec Dos: Cancun And Bacalar
In our second week, which was at the end of October, a group of us went to the states of Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Merida. Unlike the previous holiday, this felt like proper backpacking as we were at a different place every two days. This meant we had early starts to ensure we covered all possible activities at every spot. Although this week was super tiring, it was amazing at how much we covered in such a short amount of time.
Our eventful trip began with our embankment into Cancun. Cancun is perceived as THE tourist spot of Mexico, and with good reasoning. The entire coast was covered in resorts, with many places costing in US dollars rather than Mexican pesos. We spent our weekend in Cancun at the island of Isla Mujeres. Meaning the Island of Women in English, is a city surrounded by the clear waters of the Caribbean sea. Arriving by ferry, many tourists tend to hire out a golf cart as you can cover the island within a couple of hours. It was super fun taking a turn at driving the golf cart as they drive on the opposite side of the road compared to New Zealand. For the majority of the journey, you were able to see both sides of the ocean while driving due to the island being so small. I can say that the northern side of Isla Mujeres was the best beach I have ever been to.
After a weekend in Cancun, we took a 7 hour morning bus ride down to Bacalar. What makes Bacalar interesting is that it has similar clear crystal water to Cancun, but is situated in the Bacalar Lagoon. The name originates from the Mayan word ‘place of reeds’, which is a typical plant found around the lagoon. Besides from the main attraction of ‘The Seven Colors Lagoon’, there is also a range of cenotes within the district. The famous ones being ‘Cenote Negro’ and ‘Cenote Azul’ are different to cenotes located in the Riveria Maya due to being open instead of cavern-type. One of our group’s favorite spots we visited in Bacalar was ‘Los Rapidos’, which is a natural lazy river within the Bacalar lagoon. Bacalar was all of our favorite places on this trip. Not only because of the range of water activities, but because of the main plaza having the yummiest authentic and cheap Mexican food.
Valladolid and Chichen Itza
We left the state of Quintana Roo and took a 5 hour bus ride to the small town of Valladolid, in the state of Yucatan. Many tourists stay in Valladolid to visit the famous caved cenotes and 7th wonder of the world, Chi Chi Itza. Valladolid has up to 21 cenotes in the area, one of them being in the centre of town, called Cenote Zaci. This ‘pueblo magico’ had a church with one of the prettiest exteriors I have seen. Unlike other churches in Mexico, there was a range of palm trees surrounding it, giving it a tropical vibe. What I loved most about Valladolid was how lively the main square was. There was always live music or dancers, and on a random weeknight there was a massive party. We were quite intrigued as many of the Mexicans that were dancing were holding giant sized shoes above their heads. When we asked locals what this meant, they just said there was no underlying significance behind it. Rather that Mexicans will find anything to party with, even giant sized shoes. And of course, no Mexican party is fulfilled without a mariachi band and fireworks!
On one of our days in Valladolid, we took a 40 minute collectivo to the famous Mayan Temples of Chichen Itza. We were supposed to pay around 60 NZD for entrance, but were surprised to find out that having a Mexican university ID meant free entrance into the historical site. Instead, we put our entrance money towards getting a guided tour.
The Maya name of Chichen Itza translates to “at the mouth of the well of the Itza”. This originates from Chi meaning ‘mouth’ or ‘edge’ and ch’en meaning ‘well’. The Mayan town was established close to the two natural cenotes (other known as cavities), in which an ethnic group called the ‘Itza’ gained political and economical dominance at the time. Thus, providing significance to the name of ‘at the mouth (or edge) of the well of the Itza’.
It was interesting to learn about the significance and purpose of the temples in this Mayan region. I found many similarities in terms of the ideologies and architecture between my visit to Chichen Itza and the Teotihuacan Pyramids. For example, all buildings are purposely crafted with a particular number of steps, columns and inner panels to represent the days within the year. ‘Duality’ is another prominent characteristic, where Mesoamericans prioritize equality between sun and moon, men and women, life and death, and so on. Astrological ideals are also implemented into the architecture of the pyramids. For example 3 days before and after the 22nd of September, all the northern side of the pyramid is in the shade. Because of this, the 7 shadows produced make it look like the body of a snake. This is significant as the ‘feathered snake’ is the most important God in the Mayan culture. This occurrence happens on the 22nd of September and 21st of March, to signify to the Mayans when it is the correct time to harvest.
Due to the way these temples were built, you can also clap (or shout) and hear your echo from the other side of the site. When we practiced it, our echo was so delayed that it felt like someone was clapping the exact rhythm from a mile away. The ideology behind this is whatever you put into this world, will be echoed to your after life. In other words, whatever good you do in this world, will be continued in life once you pass.
Honestly, having these excursions with people I only met 3 months ago feels like a fever dream. I feel so insanely lucky to experience these moments while studying abroad. It is crazy to think I get to have these adventures with people from across the world, and eventually we are expected to go home and continue back to normal life. With only 3 weeks left in this semester, I can not help but reminisce on these experiences already. Although it has felt like a lifetime I have spent overseas, it almost does not feel like enough time at all.